Motion estimation (ME) in video coding may be used to improve video compression performance by removing or reducing temporal redundancy among video frames. For encoding an input block, traditional motion estimation may be performed at an encoder within a specified search window in reference frames. This may allow determination of a motion vector that meets a predefined requirement, such as the minimization of a metric such as the sum of absolute differences (SAD) between the input block and the reference block. The motion vector (MV) information can then be transmitted to a decoder for motion compensation. The video decoder may then utilize the received motion vector information to displace the pixels from the reference frames to form reconstructed output pixels. This displacement may be used to represent the motion compensation.
Note that in the description below, the terms “frame” and “picture” are used interchangeably, as would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art.